Guillemots @ Birmingham Carling Academy

ALTHOUGH the beguiling Guillemots may have failed to slay the mighty Muse for Best British Live Act at the Brits, there was plenty of love for them last night as they played to a capacity Valentine's Night Birmingham Academy.

ALTHOUGH the beguiling Guillemots may have failed to slay the mighty Muse for Best British Live Act at the Brits, there was plenty of love for them last night as they played to a capacity Valentine's Night Birmingham Academy.

There is something unequivocally lovely about Guillemots music live.

In a music media obsessed with pigeonholing bands into genres and movements, the Guillemot perfect pop bandwagon has sidestepped all that, instead ramming home that they are an epic live act.

Current single Annie, let's not wait, Go away, Sao Paulo, Trains to Brazil and Made up Lovesong #43 all give excellent reasons to buy their Mercury Prize nominated debut album, through the windowpane; while new songs words, big dog and Sea Out will compel you to wait in line for the next album, which begins recording in March.

Make no mistake, this is the summit of pop music, and with few live sets to parallel them at the moment, you can ignore a Guillemots gig at your peril, because you're going to regret it.